The University of Illinois invites applications and nominations for a full-time major gift officer position to secure private support for the Urbana-Champaign campus. The Associate Director/Director of Development for regional fundraising will serve as a member of the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign Regional Gift Program with core responsibility for major gift fundraising activities in the Southeast region of the United States.

As one of the nation's leading public research institutions, the U of I is distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence and internationally renowned faculty. With a combined total of 637,000 living alumni, the University of Illinois is in the silent phase of a multi-billion dollar campaign.

Primary Function

This position reports to the Senior Director of Development for Regional Programs located on the Urbana campus and will work closely with advancement colleagues in units across campus to maximize identification, cultivation and solicitation strategies for major gift prospects. The primary responsibility of this major gift officer is to identify, cultivate and solicit prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more in support of philanthropic priorities at the university.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Develop and implement strategies that will lead to and result in successful major gift support of the academic priorities of the University in concert with the philanthropic interest of donors. Works closely with college and unit-based fundraisers as well as senior administrators and faculty to identify and define priority needs to be funded through private support. The Associate Director/Director may be asked to focus full efforts on a specific fundraising priority and/or unit for a specified period of time and territories may change to meet the ever-changing priorities.

Proactively manage a portfolio of up to 120 individual major gift prospects and donors (with an emphasis on gifts of $25,000 and more), determining frequency of contact needed.

Determine and prioritize lists of donor prospects, alumni and other stakeholders to be contacted for personal visits.

Maintain a travel schedule of 30 - 50% time including some evenings and weekends. The majority of the travel will be Southeast region, with other territories added as necessary.

Use independent judgment to determine appropriate use of resources for travel to meet with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations for the purpose of building relationships leading to financial support of the University.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree

Demonstrated excellent oral and written communication skills and experience working in a collaborative, team-oriented environment

For the title of Associate Director, a minimum of three years of successful advancement experience or more than six years of related work experience (such as sales, marketing, communications, financial planning, etc.).

For the title of Director, a minimum of five years of successful advancement experience or more than seven years related work experience (such as sales, marketing, communications, financial planning, etc.).

Demonstrated ability to represent an organization in visits with key constituents

Understanding of major donor prospect qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship

Strong relationship management skills

Preferred Qualifications

Master's Degree

Documented success as a major and principal gift fundraiser in higher education

Knowledge of advancement strategies including best practices related to development at institutions of higher education

Advancement experience in an academic unit that produces degrees and conducts rigorous academic research

Knowledge of the University of Illinois is preferred

Knowledge of the Southeast business and philanthropic culture is preferred

Demonstrated interest in and ability to represent an organization in one-on-one visits with key constituents

Understands and adheres to the Association of Fundraising Professionals Donor Bill of Rights which is endorsed by the Office of Institutional Advancement

Salary

Competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

To Apply

To ensure full consideration, application materials must be received by July 5, 2017. Please complete your candidate profile at http://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a letter of application, resume and the names, address, phone numbers and email addresses of three professional references. For more information regarding application procedures, contact Brenda Morris at bcmorris@illinois.edu. Proposed starting date is as soon as possible after the closing date. Interviews may take place prior to the closing date; however, no decision will be made until after that date.

The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer.

Illinois is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity (www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu).

The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO. To learn more about the University's commitment to diversity, please visit http://www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu

College Name or Administrative Unit: Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Category: Academic Professional Title: Associate Director/Director of Development - Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement (A1700223) Open Date: 04/12/2017 Organization Name: Ofc VC Inst Advancement